Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville have partnered in a unique collaborative campaign to revitalize the U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center, a historic community asset located on the western entrance to Shelby Park and Bottoms, and to reimagine it as Shelby Commons, a new parks, arts and cultural center for all of Nashville to experience.
Shelby Commons will be a public-private partnership with Friends of Shelby leasing the Naval Building and surrounding park grounds from Metro Parks and entering a parallel long-term lease with the Arts & Business Council as an equal partner in the capital campaign, site restoration and ongoing operations. Both entities will have office space within the building and generate revenue through the lease of the building spaces to tenants.
We believe this building can serve Our Park with needed amenities such as food service, restrooms, and recreation retail like kayak and bike rental. We believe this building can provide Our Community with a place to gather and connect as neighbors on common ground and support the artists and creatives that are the soul of our city. All of this will ensure that Our Future is focused on the people who live and gather here and the health of our community.
We know that strong cultural infrastructure leads to thriving, more equitable communities. We believe that the former Naval Reserve Training Center — the new Shelby Commons — can provide accessible, collaborative space to bolster the creative community and strengthen civic life.
